Woman, 34, shares what not eating rice and roti for 2 years did to her body: ‘I have more energy than a 20-year-old’

Health educator Akriti Goel discusses the benefits of avoiding roti and rice for nearly a decade, replacing them with dal chilas for two years.

Can avoiding roti and rice, and combining this diet with strength training, benefit your overall health and help manage blood sugar levels? According to Akriti Goel, she benefited from this lifestyle choice.

Akriti replaced these high-glycemic carbohydrates, such as roti and rice, with protein-rich alternatives, such as moong dal chila. (Freepik)

Akriti, according to India Today, transitioned from engineering at BITS Pilani to high-pressure startup leadership roles, to cracking the NEET with an AIR of 1,118, and is now studying MBBS at Hindu Rao Hospital. The health educator took to Instagram on December 31 to share how not eating roti and rice, and substituting them with dal chilas, benefited her health.

‘I don't eat roti or rice’

In the clip, Akriti explained how she has been avoiding traditional staples like roti and rice to manage her genetic predisposition to diabetes for almost 10 years. She revealed that she has been replacing these high-glycemic carbohydrates with protein-rich alternatives, such as moong dal chila, for two years. This helps her maintain high energy levels and digestive health.

She also warned that India is facing a pandemic of diabetes, high blood pressure, and all the chronic diseases, largely because people neglect their dietary habits during their younger years. By sharing her personal decade-long routine of avoiding rice and roti, she emphasised that individual willpower and lifestyle modifications are essential for preventing long-term illnesses.

‘I don’t want to get diabetes'

“For the past 10 years, I haven't eaten roti or rice at all in my daily meals? I mean, sometimes, okay, I might have it once in a while. But as such, there's no flour or rice in my house. And in all my meals, for at least the last two years, I've just eaten a simple moong dal (or any other lentil) chila instead of roti with any vegetable. And I strength train five times a week,” Akriti confessed in the video, detailing her daily diet and routine.

The 34-year-old added that she is fairly active and has more energy than any 20-year-old in her MBBS batch. “For the last 10 years, I've consistently worked out, and I don't have any sort of energy deficiency just because I don't eat roti and rice. The reason I don't eat roti and rice is that my entire family is diabetic, and I don't want to get diabetes.”

She added that, although life expectancy has increased due to modern medical sciences, people's quality of life has deteriorated, hampered by lifestyle diseases. According to her, it is because we don't take care of ourselves in our 30s and 40s, and then in our 50s and 60s, we all get diabetes.

How did eating lentil chila change her health?

After eating chilas instead of roti and rice, Akriti experienced changes in many aspects, including a lack of sluggish feeling after eating food. “It's very easy to digest. It has more protein than wheat, and rice has none at all. It has equivalent fibre to wheat and a lower glycemic index,” she added. A lower glycemic index means no sugar spikes.

In the end, Akriti noted that she isn't asking people to avoid rice or roti. Rather, she wants them to eat and sleep better if they are diabetic or predisposed to it.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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